Do self-employed people need a risk assessment?
Yes. If you are self-employed and your work presents risks to your own health and safety or to others, you are legally required to carry out a risk assessment under Regulation 3(2) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. This requirement applies whether you trade as a sole trader, freelancer, contractor, or consultant — and whether you work alone or occasionally employ others. The only exception is if your work is low-risk and entirely office-based with no identifiable hazards beyond typical domestic risks, but HSE guidance makes clear that very few activities meet this threshold.
The legal basis: MHSWR 1999 Regulation 3(2)
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 Section 3(2) imposes a general duty on self-employed persons to conduct their undertakings in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that they and others who may be affected are not exposed to risks to their health and safety. This general duty is made specific by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Regulation 3(2) of MHSWR 1999 states: "Every self-employed person shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to his own health and safety and the risks to the health and safety of persons not in his employment arising out of or in connection with the conduct by him of his undertaking." This is a strict legal duty — not guidance, not best practice, but a criminal offence if you fail to comply.
The definition of self-employed for these purposes is functional, not just a matter of tax status. If you work for clients under contracts for services (rather than contracts of employment), you are likely to be self-employed for health and safety law. This includes:
- Tradespeople: electricians, plumbers, carpenters, plasterers, decorators, roofers
- Construction contractors working on domestic or commercial sites
- Delivery drivers, couriers, and hauliers operating as sole traders
- Freelance consultants and professionals whose work involves site visits, manual handling, or driving
- Childminders, tutors, and personal trainers working in clients' homes or public spaces
- Landlords carrying out maintenance or repairs on rental properties
- Mobile hairdressers, beauty therapists, and other service providers working in domestic settings
If you employ even one person — including casual labour or a family member — you also have the full employer duties under Regulation 3(1) and must record your risk assessment findings in writing if you employ five or more people.
What must a self-employed risk assessment cover?
A suitable and sufficient risk assessment for a self-employed person must identify all significant risks arising from the work and the measures needed to control them. The assessment must cover:
- Risks to yourself: manual handling injuries, slips and trips, work at height, use of tools and equipment, exposure to hazardous substances, lone working, driving for work, and any other activity-specific hazards.
- Risks to others: members of the public (including clients and their families), other contractors working on the same site, and anyone else who could be affected by your work activities.
The structure follows the same five-step process required for employers: identify hazards, decide who might be harmed, evaluate risks and decide on precautions, record findings (though there is no strict legal requirement for a self-employed person with no employees to record in writing, it is essential for evidencing compliance), and review the assessment when circumstances change.
Common hazards for self-employed workers
Manual handling and awkward postures
Self-employed tradespeople frequently work alone and may be tempted to lift or manoeuvre heavy items without assistance. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 apply to self-employed persons. A risk assessment must identify manual handling tasks that present a risk of injury and specify control measures: mechanical aids (sack trucks, hoists, lifting straps), breaking loads into smaller units, requesting assistance from the client or a colleague, and proper lifting technique training.
Work at height
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply in full to self-employed workers. Any work where a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury is work at height — this includes working on a stepladder, a flat roof, or scaffolding. A risk assessment must demonstrate that the work has been properly planned, that those carrying it out are competent, and that the risks have been assessed. Control measures include using the right equipment for the task (tower scaffold rather than ladders for prolonged work), edge protection, and fall arrest equipment where necessary.
Electrical work
Self-employed electricians must assess the risks from live working, arc flash, and working in confined spaces with electrical installations. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 impose absolute duties (no "reasonably practicable" qualification) to ensure that electrical systems are constructed and maintained to prevent danger. A self-employed electrician's risk assessment must specify safe isolation procedures, testing regimes, and competence requirements.
Hazardous substances (COSHH)
Many self-employed workers use substances covered by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002: solvents, paints, adhesives, cleaning chemicals, cement and concrete dust, welding fumes, and wood dust. A COSHH assessment is legally required before using these substances. The assessment must identify the substance, the health hazards it presents, who is exposed and how, and the control measures in place (ventilation, RPE, gloves, eye protection, storage and disposal procedures).
Lone working
Self-employed persons frequently work alone, often in clients' homes or on remote sites. A risk assessment must consider the additional risks this presents: what happens if you are injured and cannot summon help, how you communicate your location and expected finish time, whether the work environment presents specific lone-working risks (aggressive clients, poorly lit access routes, confined spaces), and what emergency procedures are in place. Control measures include regular check-ins with a family member or colleague, a charged mobile phone, and clear arrangements with the client for raising the alarm.
Driving for work
If you drive as part of your work — whether to client sites, to collect materials, or to deliver services — your risk assessment must address road safety. This includes ensuring the vehicle is roadworthy and properly maintained, that loads are secured, that driving hours comply with the law, and that you are fit to drive. Regulation 3(2) of MHSWR 1999 has been applied in prosecutions following fatal road accidents involving self-employed drivers.
Do I need to write down my risk assessment?
If you are self-employed with no employees, there is no strict legal requirement under MHSWR 1999 to record your risk assessment in writing. Regulation 3(6), which requires employers with five or more employees to record significant findings, does not apply to the self-employed under Regulation 3(2).
However, if you cannot produce a written risk assessment when asked by an HSE inspector, a client, or following an accident, you will struggle to demonstrate that you carried out a suitable and sufficient assessment. HSE guidance makes clear that even where there is no legal duty to record, it is strongly recommended — and in practice, a written risk assessment is the only credible way to prove compliance.
Additionally, if you work on construction sites governed by the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, the principal contractor will require you to provide a written risk assessment and method statement before you are allowed on site. Many commercial and public sector clients now require written risk assessments as a contractual pre-condition.
When must I review my self-employed risk assessment?
Under Regulation 3(3) of MHSWR 1999, you must review your risk assessment if you have reason to suspect it is no longer valid or there has been a significant change in the matters to which it relates. Events that trigger a review include:
- An accident or near-miss involving your work
- A change in the type of work you undertake (for example, moving from domestic electrical work to commercial work involving three-phase supplies)
- Acquiring new tools or equipment
- A change in the way you work (for example, starting to work alone having previously worked with a partner)
- New information about a hazard (a revised safety data sheet for a substance you use)
- A change in your own health that affects your ability to carry out certain tasks safely
As a minimum, you should review your risk assessment annually. A risk assessment dated several years ago with no evidence of review is unlikely to be considered suitable and sufficient.
What happens if I do not have a risk assessment?
Failing to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment as a self-employed person is a criminal offence under Section 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. On conviction, you can be fined an unlimited amount. Following a workplace fatality or serious injury, you may also face a charge of manslaughter by gross negligence if the failure to assess and control risks was sufficiently reckless.
In 2022, a self-employed roofer was prosecuted and fined £8,000 after falling through a fragile roof light while working alone. HSE's investigation found no risk assessment, no edge protection, and no safe system of work. The fine, alongside legal costs, significantly exceeded the value of the job.
Beyond criminal liability, failing to carry out a risk assessment may invalidate your public liability insurance. Most policies require you to take reasonable precautions to prevent accidents — a term that insurers interpret to include carrying out risk assessments. If you cannot produce a risk assessment following a claim, the insurer may refuse to pay out.
Do I need public liability insurance?
Public liability insurance is not a legal requirement for most self-employed persons in the UK, but it is essential in practice. If your work causes injury to a member of the public or damage to their property, you can be sued for negligence — and the damages can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Employers' liability insurance, on the other hand, is legally required under the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 if you employ anyone, even casually. The minimum cover is £5 million, though policies typically provide £10 million. You must display the certificate of insurance at your place of business or make it available to employees on request.
Many self-employed tradespeople carry combined public and employers' liability cover, with limits of £5–10 million. Insurers increasingly ask to see a copy of your risk assessment when you apply for cover, and some now refuse cover if you cannot provide one.
Self-employed working on construction sites: additional duties under CDM 2015
If you are self-employed and work on construction sites, you are likely to be a contractor for the purposes of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. Regulation 8 requires every contractor to plan, manage, and monitor construction work under their control to ensure it is carried out without risks to health and safety.
Before starting work on a construction site, you must provide the principal contractor with a written risk assessment and method statement (RAMS). The principal contractor is legally obliged to coordinate your work with that of other contractors to ensure site-wide safety. If you turn up on site without a RAMS, you will be turned away — and you will not be paid for a wasted journey.
Many self-employed contractors use generic, copied RAMS documents that do not reflect the actual work being done or the site conditions. These are routinely rejected. A suitable RAMS must be specific to the job: the location, the access arrangements, the sequence of work, the equipment to be used, and the control measures for the specific hazards present.
Practical steps: how to carry out a self-employed risk assessment
Step 1: List the activities you undertake
Write down all the tasks you carry out as part of your work. For a self-employed electrician, this might include: first-fix wiring in new builds, rewiring domestic properties, fault-finding and repairs, testing and inspection (EICR), installing consumer units, installing EV chargers, and emergency call-outs. For a self-employed gardener: grass cutting, hedge trimming, tree surgery, use of powered tools (chainsaws, strimmers, mowers), manual handling of green waste, and use of pesticides and fertilisers.
Step 2: Identify the hazards for each activity
For each task, list the things that could cause harm. Use the categories: physical hazards (slips, trips, falls from height, moving machinery, noise, vibration), chemical hazards (dusts, fumes, solvents, pesticides), biological hazards (Weil's disease from rat urine, Legionella, tetanus), ergonomic hazards (repetitive tasks, awkward postures, manual handling), and psychosocial hazards (lone working, aggressive clients, work-related stress).
Step 3: Decide who might be harmed
Consider yourself, clients and their families (especially children and pets), members of the public, other contractors on site, and anyone with particular vulnerabilities (elderly clients, pregnant women, people with disabilities).
Step 4: Evaluate the risk and decide on controls
For each hazard, assess the likelihood of harm and the severity. Then apply the hierarchy of controls in order: eliminate the hazard if possible, substitute with something less dangerous, use engineering controls (guards, ventilation, edge protection), implement administrative controls (safe systems of work, training, supervision), and provide PPE as a last resort. Record what controls are already in place and what additional measures are needed.
Step 5: Write it down
Use a simple table: Activity | Hazard | Who at risk | Current controls | Risk rating | Additional action needed | Person responsible | Date. Many self-employed workers use a single-page risk assessment for routine tasks and a more detailed assessment for higher-risk or unfamiliar work.
Step 6: Review regularly
Set a reminder to review your risk assessment at least once a year, and immediately if something changes (new equipment, an accident, a change in the type of work).
Using a risk assessment generator for self-employed work
AI-powered risk assessment generators like Anyrisks allow self-employed workers to produce a professional, compliant risk assessment in minutes rather than hours. You describe your work, the location, the tools and substances you use, and who might be affected — and the system generates a fully written assessment citing the relevant regulations and applying the hierarchy of controls.
For a self-employed person juggling client work with administrative tasks, this can be transformative. Instead of searching for templates, copying and pasting generic text, and hoping you have covered the legal requirements, you receive a document tailored to your specific activity. You still need to review it to confirm it reflects your actual working practices, but the heavy lifting is done.
A generated risk assessment costs £29 and is delivered as a PDF and an editable Word document. It includes a declaration section for you to sign and date, confirming you have read and understood the controls and will implement them. This signature is critical for demonstrating to clients, insurers, and HSE inspectors that the assessment is not just a paper exercise.
Client requests for risk assessments
Increasingly, clients — particularly in the commercial and public sectors — require self-employed contractors to provide a copy of their risk assessment before work begins. This is a contractual requirement, not a legal one, but refusing to provide an assessment will usually mean losing the job.
Domestic clients are becoming more aware of their own potential liabilities. If a self-employed tradesperson is injured while working in a homeowner's property, the homeowner may face a civil claim if they failed to take reasonable steps to ensure the work was carried out safely. Asking to see the contractor's risk assessment and insurance certificate is part of discharging that duty.
Schools, hospitals, local authorities, and housing associations almost always require written risk assessments before allowing contractors on site. Some issue their own standard forms; others accept the contractor's own assessment provided it meets a minimum standard. Having a professional, well-written risk assessment ready to send increases your chances of winning and retaining these contracts.
Common mistakes self-employed workers make with risk assessments
- Using a generic template without tailoring it — A risk assessment that says "slips, trips and falls may occur" without specifying the surfaces you work on, the footwear you wear, and the housekeeping regime you follow is not suitable and sufficient. HSE inspectors dismiss these immediately.
- Copying someone else's risk assessment — A risk assessment must reflect your actual work, your equipment, and your working environment. Copying a document from a colleague or downloading a generic example from the internet will not meet the legal standard.
- Focusing only on PPE — Many self-employed workers list PPE as the primary control measure without demonstrating why higher-order controls (elimination, substitution, engineering controls) are not practicable. This is a failure to apply the hierarchy of controls and will not satisfy Regulation 3(2).
- Not updating the assessment after an accident — If you have an accident or near-miss, your risk assessment must be reviewed immediately. Failing to do so and then having a second, similar accident is likely to result in prosecution.
- Assuming low-risk work needs no assessment — Very few self-employed activities are genuinely low-risk. Even office-based consultants who visit client sites must assess the risks from driving, lone working, and unfamiliar premises. HSE guidance is clear that the exemption for low-risk work is narrow and rarely applies.
Further reading
For more on the legal duties that apply to all employers and self-employed persons, see our risk assessment legal requirements guide. For a broader overview of how to carry out a risk assessment, see the ultimate guide to risk assessment. To check whether a specific activity requires a risk assessment, see do I need a risk assessment?
Also see: The Ultimate Guide to Risk Assessment · Do I Need a Risk Assessment? · Risk Assessment Legal Requirements · Risk Assessment Generator